Sindh govt berates Centre for oil price hike, failing to fix KE, Hesco

Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information, Law and Anti-Corruption Establishment Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Thursday slammed the federal government for increasing oil prices for the month of August.

While speaking at a press conference at the Sindh Assembly’s Media Corner, he said the “failed government” had given nothing to the people except inflation and unemployment, and the “unjust” rise in the oil prices would consequently result in an increase in the prices of other essential commodities.

According to a government statement, the adviser suggested that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf should change its name to “Tehreek-e-Revenge” as it had continued to exploit the poor people. Only U-turns were taken during the past 12 months, he added.

He stated that the urban areas of the Sindh province suffered severe loadshedding during the recent rains, and although Hesco was responsible for the suffering of the people, but unjustly the Sindh government was censured.

He said the deaths of 20 people in Karachi, especially the video of two children who died due to electrocution, were extremely painful. He said that the federal government instead of helping out the Sindh government in these testing times trumpeted that it was not their responsibility. Barrister Wahab said the federal government owned nearly a 25 percent share of K-Electric and the Board of Directors also belonged to it, yet it was claiming that it was not its responsibility.

He added that someone had lost their son and someone lost their father and brother, all owing to the carelessness of the K-Electric. The adviser said that the Sindh government would ask questions and Nepra should question the administration about what it had done to improve the infrastructure of the utility.

He said Umer Ayub, who was also a minister during a dictator’s regime, could not justify his criticism of the Sindh government.

Barrister Wahab said the Karachi lost its children due to electrocution even when it was paying a handsome amount to national exchequer. He said the Sindh government would fully assist and support the affected people as and when they went to court of law to seek justice.

He said the leaders of the PTI should stop shedding crocodile’s tears and criticising the provincial government while sitting in their AC rooms in Islamabad. The adviser said that our leaders were being criticised for raising pertinent questions. “Can we not even question the federal government,” he asked.

He said the federal government never grilled the K-Electric administration over its negligence. Barrister Wahab said that if anyone was there on the roads during two days of rain, it was Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani. He said that the Karachi mayor and the DMCs claimed before the rainfall that all the Nullahs had been cleared, but if that was true, why the situation worsened constantly.

The prime minister had announced a 162 billing package for the metropolis, but no relief had been provided so far, he said, adding that the time had come when the “princes of PTI should come out of the tweeting world and face reality”. Describing the performance of Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment, Barrister Wahab said that actions were being taken to vacate the government land in District Malir and elsewhere, while the illegal hydrants were also being demolished.